Stars
by RosalineSupernatural
Summary: Just a quick, fluffy one-off with with a concerned Gabriel when your car breaks down after a tough hunt.


It had been a difficult hunt, all things considered. You had been knocked out, tied up on a meat hook and spun around in a vampire nest, then had to kill all five of them after getting yourself lose, without being bit. Not quite as easy as Dean and Sam had insisted it would be, but you survived with a few minor cuts and a major bruise on your jaw from a flailing hand after decapitation.  
You thought about the word 'decapitation' as you got in your car and started her up. It was the removing of one's head from their neck, but it could also mean taking off a cap. You laughed at that for a moment before pulling out from the curb.  
The night was clear, no clouds to block out the wonderful full moon and its accompanying stars. If you were back at the Bunker, you and Gabriel would have found a nice, high vantage point away from civilisation and would been watching the millions of twinkling stars above you by now. But alas, you were driving home with a pile of bodies and their decapitated heads in your trunk.  
Your car started stutter and spit and lurch after you had just turned onto the highway. You checked the fuel gage and swore. It was empty, literally running on fumes. You coaxed Dean's borrowed Impala to the side of the road just before she gave out. You sat there for a moment before thumping the steering wheel and getting out. Maybe Gabriel could swing by and give you a lift?  
You take out your phone and dial his number. You didn't wait long until he answered. "Yello?" His voice instantly makes you feel better.  
You lean against the bonnet, looking up at the stars. "She's empty, and I'm stuck." Your phone makes an odd _bip_ sound and you pull it away from your ear, and swear again. Your night just keeps getting better and better, because now your phone is on its last percentage. "And my phone's dying. I need help."  
There was static coming through the phone, and you struggle to hear him. "Bella? …okay? … can't hear…" His voice sounded like it was filled with fear.  
"I'm okay! I need help. Car issues. Pick me up just before Wilsons Lake, south of Lebanon. Please hurry, it's-" Your phone beeped a final time before it died. "Kinda spooky…" You finished. You took a long steady breath to calm yourself, then threw your phone back inside the Impala. Dean was going to kill you for running his baby dry, and then probably again for sitting on the bonnet.  
You sighed and got back inside the car to wait. You knew that the drive was at least an hour, so you settled down on the blood covered seats – another reason why Dean was going to murder you – to get some sleep while you waited.

Gabriel was in a panic. What had she said on the phone? _… I'm stuck… dying… help…_ He had only just managed to make out where she was before he sprinted into the garage, jumped in the fastest car he could find, and, with wheels spinning, shot out and into the night.  
He couldn't fly over to her. He was more or less human. All the angels were since The Fall, something that could be chalked up to his baby brother's misjudgement of Metatron's character. But none of that mattered. Only Bella mattered.  
To say that he was going above the speed limit was a gross understatement. He was doing the closest thing a human could do to flying. Going easily over one-hundred miles an hour, drifting corners, and not even considering slowing at stop signs.  
He was going so fast that he almost missed the black Impala as he drove past. Gabriel jammed on breaks, spun the car around, and ran out. He pulled open the driver's door and his heart stopped when he saw Bella, eyes closed, her soft black hair spread around her cut-covered face, and a large bruise had blossomed along her cheek. The leather seat was covered in dried blood. _Too late…_  
Gabriel knelt on the ground outside of the car and stroked her head, staring at the body. He was too late. He hadn't driven fast enough. He didn't get there in time, and now he had lost her.

You stirred when she felt a familiar hand on your head and blinked up at Gabriel looming over you. His eyebrows were close together, his mouth open slightly, and his eyes… His eyes were full or worry and pain that it made your heart squeeze in your chest. After a moment of staring at you with worry carved into every line and feature of his face, he closed his eyes and let out a pent-up breath in a rush, relief washing over his features.  
"Oh thank God." He whispered and pulled you into his arms, holding you tight against his solid chest. You smiled and hugged him back, enjoying the warmth coming from his body. "I thought I'd lost you…"  
You laughed softly and looked up at him, confused. "I told you I was fine, and that the Impala was dying because she was out of gas."  
He pulled you away from him, but still kept his hands firmly on your arms as if to reassure himself that you were there, and that you were alive. "That's not what I heard." He searched your face, his eyes lingering on your wide eyes. "And then when I saw you, cut up, blood everywhere…" You nodded in understanding. That would have given anyone a decent fright. Gabriel gently took your chin in his hand and lifted it so he could get a better look at you. You could feel the warmth of his grace throughout your body, healing your cuts and bruises.  
You smiled gratefully at him and placed your hand on his cheek. He leaned into it and closed his eyes. "I'm okay, Gab," You said softly. You took his hand from you chin and held it in yours securely as you got out of the car. You sat on the hood of the Impala and he slid up beside you. He wrapped an arm around you and pulled you close to him as you looked up at the twinkling stars.  
"You know, I watched the birth of all of them," Gabriel said softly, running his hands through your hair. "I saw how dad created the stars, and then the planets, and then you." You looked up at him, and he was smiling your favourite lopsided smile, the smile he pulled before he made a joke or surprised you. "And you wanna know something?"  
You grin up at him and sigh dramatically. "I always want to know something, especially if it's from you."  
He squeezed your shoulder before he continued. "I never thought I'd fall in love with someone, especially with a human," he admitted, and you swatted him playfully. Instead of retaliating as he usually did by tickling you, he took your hands in his and kissed the tip of each finger while he spoke. "I was in love with the stars, you see, babe. But your eyes? They're better than any stars in that sky, they have more life than any of the planets He made, and their sparkle…" He leaned over to kiss your eyelids, making you blush. "Better than the whole damn galaxy."


End file.
